This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Various structures, such as grain bins or farmhouses, may use ventilation systems to maintain a selected environment. The ventilations systems can ensure that a supply of fresh air and acceptable levels of various materials are maintained within the structure. For example, a ventilation system can assist in removing less desirable compounds, such as carbon dioxide emitted by livestock within a farmhouse or moisture from grain within a grain bin. Therefore, the ventilation system may be used to move volumes of air and may generally include various fan systems to move the air.
Grain bins may be any appropriate housing configured for grain storage. Grain bins can be generally round structures that include a raised floor creating an air plenum beneath the grain. The floor can be perforated so that air can pass from the plenum through the floor and grain to remove moisture from the grain. Multiple fans can be arranged around the grain bin to push air into the air plenum.
In a ventilation system for a grain bin that includes two or more fans back pressure can be created by an operating fan. This can result in air flow toward a non-operating fan, causing its propellers to turn in the opposite (i.e., reverse of normal) direction. Thus, the motor needs additional power to overcome the load caused by such backflow from other fans that may be already on, which can cause the fan motor to experience overload or over-current. Therefore, it is desirable to inhibit strong backflow air through the fans that are otherwise in the deactivated or “off” position.
Moreover, in such ventilation systems it is desirable to minimize or eliminate moving components that may tend to cease, clog, stick or otherwise inhibit smooth operation. Furthermore, in some instances it may be desirable to retrofit existing ventilation systems to incorporate various ventilation components, such as dampers and the like. In such circumstances, it may be desirable to add such supplemental components without requiring additional space around the existing components and/or mounting hardware.